…according to the proverb and a boat without a cat isn’t one either–at least in my humble opinion I’ve now been alone with Leeloo on the boat for two and half weeks, but it’s impossible to feel lonely with a furry companion who’s always around and always talks back

I love the way…
…she climbs up the steep companion way stairs looking like a little monkey.
…she rolls around on the bimini enjoying the morning sun.
…she welcomes us home at the stern chatting animatedly about the many things that must have happened on the boat–even when we were only gone for half an hour.
…she wants to have her meals at the same time we eat (social eater).
…she works out on her scratchboard on deck sharpening her claws (and nowhere else)
…she hops on the couch in the evening waiting for us to join her to watch a film.
…she shouts “bray-ow-ee!” (out of the way, here I come) while jumping up to our bed.
…she gallops over the deck and on to the bimini around 4 in the morning sounding like a herd of elephants.
…she crawls under my blanket after her nightly adventures on deck (all cold paws and bristled fur in the cold of the Tahitian winter at the moment).

I could strangle her though, when she then insists on me getting up to feed her at 5 in the morning, even though she has wet and dry food in her bowls. She’s always been picky and in her old age she eats nothing but high qualitiy diet catfood which is not available here in French Polynesia. Well, nobody’s perfect Fortunately Christian will soon come back with a bagful of cat goodies…